The present invention relates to the field of practice ammunition and practice bombs and, specifically, to a projectile/bomb that marks the point of impact both by day and by night.
More particularly, the invention concerns a device that provides for marking on high angle-of-attack projectiles and bombs. High angle-of-attack projectiles/bombs include mortar ammunition, artillery ammunition and gravity bombs launched from aircraft.
As used hereinafter, the term “projectile” is intended to include both ground-launched projectiles and aircraft-launched bombs.
Impact marking projectiles are well known in the art. Marking projectiles which use a dry powder, such as a red powder dye, for marking the impact by day are known, for example, from the U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0032393 to Haeselich. Marking projectiles which use chemi-luminescent materials for marking their impact by night are also known. Reference is made, for example, to the U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,211 and the aforementioned Patent Publication, both to Haeselich, which disclose such practice ammunition. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,497,181 and 6,990,905 to Manole et al. also disclose similar devices.
These types of devices have several drawbacks:
First, if the projectile impacts soft ground, it may not burst open, and thus may not mark the point of impact. This situation often occurs with high angle-of-attack projectiles which are intended to contact the ground, rather than a building structure.
Also, due to its high velocity, the projectile might bury itself in the ground, preventing the marking material from being properly dispersed.
Further, if the projectile is launched in cold weather, the chemi-luminescent materials require extra time to reach full luminance when mixed on setback or when dropped from an aircraft. Upon impact, the materials may not have had time to reach their full luminescent output.